New Leash on Life, three other organizations receive donation from Lochinvar

Lochinvar donated $26,000 to four local companies Thursday morning as part of its quarterly donations.

The company submits the names of local companies to its parent company, A.O. Smith Corp., which has a committee that reviews the companies submitted and chooses which ones to donate money.

The organizations that received money Thursday morning were Joseph’s Storehouse, New Leash on Life, Sherry’s Run and Southern STARRS.

Human resources director Pam Carter and chief operating officer Eddie Goodwin were on hand to present the donations to the organizations.

One of the representatives present was Angela Chapman, director of New Leash on Life, a local animal shelter dedicated to improving the welfare of companion animals within the community. New Leash on Life received $1000 at the ceremony.

Chapman brought four kittens currently up for adoption to the event.

“Kittens just really work well for pictures, because they’re more likely to be like, ‘what are we doing?’ than to stress out about all the people,” said Chapman.

Chapman talked about a project New Leash is currently working on that involves building a cattery for cats to play. The project is mostly finished but needs some finishing touches before it’s complete.

“We’ve just got to put shelves in it and put a cover over it so the cats can go outside and safely play,” said Chapman.

Receiving a donation was a welcome surprise for New Leash on Life, and Chapman said she’s not entirely sure what the donation will go toward yet.

“Honestly it will go toward whatever’s needed,” said Chapman. “They just chose us as one of their charities, but we just got the call yesterday. So we don’t actually have it designated for anything. It’s just a nice surprise.”

The four kittens Chapman brought to the event are all currently up for adoption. One of the kittens, Jayden, was especially friendly during the ceremony and allowed Lochinvar employees to pass him around and pet him.

“I’m not sure how he hasn’t been adopted yet,” said Chapman. “He’s one of the most relaxed kittens I’ve ever seen. His brother found a home just recently, so we’re hoping that he’ll find a forever home soon.”

For more information on New Leash on Life, call 615-444-1144 or visit newleashonlife.org.